Dredge sluice-jig.



. STEEL.

DRED GE SLUICE JIG. APPLICATION FILED 050.24, 1914.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

.A'rronnny THE COLUMBIA Pun ocnlmu c0., WASHINGTON, n. c.

D. STEEL.

DREDGE SLUICE HG.

APPLICATION FILED 050.24, 1914.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVEN TOR WITNESSES wa /M ATTORNEY THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0. WASHINGTON. D. c.

DONALD STEEL, OF PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA.

- nnnnen SLUICE-JIG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Application filed December 24, 1914; Serial No. 878,865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DONALD STEEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Palo Alto, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dredge Sluice-Jigs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to concentrating apparatus, and particularly pertains to a jig and sluice for efiicient operation on dredges and in other adaptations.

The objects of the invention are numerous, an important purpose being to design and provide a sluice and jig which is compact, thus saving valuable space and headroom, and is of large capacity.

Another object is to provide a multiple screen jig with mobile mats held against shifting by the various swaying motions of the dredge.

Another object is to provide a concentrator, combined with a sluice, and provided with means for checking the rush of water and solids to prevent scouring of the concentrator and to afford a preliminary trap for arresting large or heavy objects, such as amalgam, quicksilver, stones and pieces of iron, and for feeding material gently to the compartments which follow.

An important object is to provide a jig combined with a multiple trough sluice structure.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section on line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

2 indicates a multiple trough sluice box with riffies 3. Interposed across the sluice is a jig comprising a preliminary box or trap i dropped below the bottom of the sluice and having a wall 5 which forms one side of an uppermost jig chamber 6. The water and solids rushing down the sluice are checked in the trap 5 and the chamber 6, the latter having on its discharge side an djustable dam 7, above which is an adjustable gate 8. For adjusting the gate 8 there may be provided a bearing or supporting bar 18 carrying an adjusting screw 19 having a hand wheel or other suitable operating member 20. The dam regulates the depth of solids and the gate the head of water main tained upon a screen 9 forming the floor of the chamber 6. Solids trapped in box A are removed as occasion requires through a discharge l', and clear water is admitted by a feed pipe 4H.

Arranged below screen chamber 6 is a jig box 10, having an intermediate screen 11 and a lowermost screen 12, the successive screens being of different areas and obliquely offset lip-stream to prevent the feeding of material near the discharge side. Operating in the hutch 13, below the screen 12, is an impeller 14, of any suitable type, which pulsates the water alternately on each side of the jig center wall 15, which in this case is substantially continuous with the intermediate wall of the parallel sluices. Each screen has a discharge side or adjustable dam 7, the top screen discharging into the tail sluice section; the screen 11 into a channel 11 and screen 12 into a channel 12.

To render this apparatus especially adaptable for service on dredges, in which case the grade is constantly varying with the rolling of the boat, I provide upon each screen a horizontal pigeon hole partition structure, the pockets of which are filled with heavy pieces, as shot, punchings, etc., of suitable material to form a jig bed of desired weight and depth. The pocket partitions keep their jig beds from drifting from side to side of the screens with the pitching or change of grade of the dredge. Clear water is admitted at suitable places in the jig box 10 by several pipes 10, and the concentrated and segregated solids are discharged at taps 10 The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Having placed upon each of the screens 9, l1 and 12, which are gradated in size of opening from large at top to small at bottom, a jig bed of pieces likewise gradated on respective screens, and having turned on the clear water at the several pipes and started the reciprocation of the pulsating impeller, the material to be treated may be turned into the sluice 2. Ordinarily the material moves with great speed and has a great ratio of water to solids. This results in scouring any unprotected surface of screen, if any is used.

In my apparatus the trap 5 and the gate 8 serve to check the momentum of water and allow the precipitation of solids, the heavy in the trap and the lighter in the first chamher 6 of the'jig. As thetop screen 9 is the smallest the pulsations therethrough are strongest and so wash u-p-and out the heavy tailings and permit the values and some gangue to pass down to screen 11; This screen 11 being next largest in area, the pulsation force is diminished and the values are allowed to again fall While a part of the gangue is thrown back and flows out chan nel 11 Such gangue as passes. through screen 11 is rejected by screen 12 and carried out at 12 while the values and concentrate pass 12 and collect in the hutch from which they are taken as desired. It will be seen, therefore, that I have produced a combined jig and sluice, for effectively treating placer material on a dredge, and which is so constructed as to require but a minimum space in proportion to the screening area afforded and continuous pulsating in the jig.

The partition 15 running parallel to the sluice is a great improvement over a partition running across the sluice because, first,

itallows screens of indefinite length, hence large screen area, While the length of screen in the case of cross partitions Would. be limited by the Width of the sluice, and the width of screens is in any case limited by the Width over which it is possible to get an even intensity of pulsion; and, second, it allows the entire sluice current to be diverted through one compartment so that the screens may be removed, from the other in case, of necessary repairs. In the case of a gold' dredge the" water cannot be turned from the sluices, excepting on rare occasions,

'without entailing considerable loss.

thereto and having means for supplying a rising stream of Water for gently feeding part of the solids to said apparatus, an adjustable gate on the discharge side of said apparatus above the over-flow level of the trap for regulating the flow and depth of quiet water above said apparatus, and a dam below said gate toregulate. the depth of solids held in the apparatus.

2. In a jigging apparatus, a screen, means for feeding material to said screen, a trap located in said feeding means below the level thereof at one side of said screen for checking the flow of material to said screen, and an adjustable gate for regulating the discharge from thesc'reen,said gate extending above the overflow level, of said trap.

' In testimony whereof I. have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. DONALD STEEL.

Witnesses:

JOHN HERRING, W. HEALEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner oirratents- WashingtomlLG. 

